Tuesday, March 01, 2016

He Blinked

This is amazing!

I never thought he would veto the bill, I thought that he would let the law go into effect without his signature.
South Dakota Governor Vetoes Restriction on Transgender Bathroom Access
New York Times
By Mitch Smith
March 1, 2016

The Republican governor of South Dakota on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have restricted bathroom access for transgender students and made the state the first to adopt such a measure.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard put out a statement late in the day saying that the bill did “not address any pressing issue” facing the state, and that it would have put schools in the “difficult position of following state law while knowing it openly invites federal litigation.”

The measure was pushed by conservative legislators who said it was an effort to protect the privacy of all students. But it appeared to conflict with the Obama administration’s interpretation of federal civil rights law and seemed likely to be headed for a court challenge.

“If and when these rare situations arise, I believe local school officials are best positioned to address them,” Mr. Daugaard wrote in a letter to lawmakers announcing his decision. “Instead of encouraging local solutions, this bill broadly regulates in a manner that invites conflict and litigation, diverting energy and resources from the education of the children of this state.” State Representative Fred Deutsch, the Republican who introduced the South Dakota bill, said he would not seek an override. Mr. Deutsch has said he believed that the federal Education Department had overstepped in its interpretation of Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, and that students’ biological sex should determine which restroom they use. Mr. Deutsch said he spoke with Mr. Daugaard shortly before the veto statement was released.
Wow! He actually realized that the law would have put the schools between a rock and a hard place and that it is better to settle the problems on a local level.

2 comments:

  1. That's really good news!

    Mandy Sherman

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  2. Daugaard is a very right wing conservative believer in liberty and freedom. He grew up on a farm with two parents who were deaf. Sign language was the language on his farm. He worked his way through college and law school.
    As a libertarian, conservative Republican who has been working since the age of 12 I am not surprised at all by his approach to fulfilling his job as governor. I would have been surprised if you had actually afforded him the credit due to him for going with his right wing beliefs in freedom and liberty and doing the right thing.
    Pat

    ReplyDelete